


a gamble i'm willing to take

by starstruckfreckles



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Non-Despair (Dangan Ronpa), F/F, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Spoilers, Tags Are Hard, gambling is legal for whatever reason don't question it, half of these tags will be deleted later don't worry, i have no idea where i'm taking this fic, mention of gambling, please bear with me, working on revamping this!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-19
Updated: 2019-09-19
Packaged: 2020-10-24 07:23:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,155
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20702138
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starstruckfreckles/pseuds/starstruckfreckles
Summary: Every victory, every bet, every gambling session, every day led to this.“This” being the first time she would meet the stoical, poker-faced woman she would fall head over heels for.





	a gamble i'm willing to take

“One last time,” she says as she pulls her arms through her blouse. She curses as her makeup stains the white fabric. That certainly won’t be easy to wash out later.  
“I’ll quit tomorrow,” she continues, pulling her red tie over her head and tightening it. 

“It’s just for today”.

Next she slips on her black, laced skirt and white belt.  
“I should stop lying to myself, shouldn’t I?,” she groans. She throws on her jacket, fiddling with the sleeves to make sure the ruffles from her blouse are visible. She sighs as she remembers that she still doesn’t have her socks and shoes on, which means she has to bend down in the stiffest outfit ever.

She goes through the effort regardless.

She puts on her black wig, thanking her past self for at least putting on her wig cap before doing her makeup. She turns to the mirror.

“I wonder if people even realise how long it takes to put all of this on,” she says, mindlessly, as she arranges the wig in a way that is believable. She reaches for the drills which she carelessly tossed on the ground the week before and swears under her breath. Those took so long to make, it would kill her if they got messed up.  
She turns back to the mirror and clips them on.  
She grabs the box containing her golden earrings, opening it and wincing at the thought of having to wear them again. “Who thought of these? They’re heavy enough to be torture devices,” she mutters. A dry laugh escapes her lips. There’s still things she needs to put on. She glances around her room and searches for them. “Not like that damned bonnet is any lighter”.

As if on cue, she finds the bonnet under a pile of clothes. She sighs and, once again, turns to the mirror. She places the bonnet on the top of her head, grabs the two pieces of ribbon on either side of it and ties a neat bow under her chin. She prays that it won’t slide out of place. 

Last but not least, she takes out the…

“What’s this thing called again?,” she asks aloud. “I mean, it’s not really a ring, is it?”

She settles on calling it a ring in the end.

Taking one last look in the mirror, she tries to ignore the growing pit in her stomach and looks at the figure staring back. A pale-faced lady in iconic gothic lolita attire, standing so primly that if anyone saw her, they’d think this was all effortless.

But it wasn’t.

“All for the sake of being different, I suppose”.

She takes the small red bag she hung on the chair earlier and checks that everything she needs is inside. And everything is there, of course. 

Including her…

‘business cards’?

Cards she made in order to be identifiable.

‘Celestia “Celeste” Ludenberg - The Ultimate Gambler’.  
Celeste Ludenberg.  
That’s… that’s her name.  
Or, at least, that’s what everyone knows her as.

*****

The thrill of a casino always makes Celeste feel refreshed. Making bets upon bets, being jokingly elbowed in the ribs by the people around her (and not admitting that it knocks the air out of her lungs every single time), smiling and waving to the other regulars.

Routinely, she pulls on the door handle.  
The door doesn’t open.  
She pulls again.  
She meets the same resistance.

She huffs and presses her ear up against the door. She doesn’t hear any music, or people. 

“God--,” she pauses to take a breath.  
“FUCKING damnit!,” she yells.

She whips around, catching a wet drop on her nose. She rubs it off, confused, and another one falls on her face. And another. And another.

And then, almost as if it was waiting for her, a sheet of rain lashes down. And she, too excited to check the weather forecast, stands in the rain, hissing as the rain seeps through her clothes and bites at her skin.

“Ah-- hello! Hello? Are you alright?,” a voice behind her inquires.

She turns her head, gasping as she remembers that she’s not the only person in this place.

“I’m-- I’m fine!,” she yelps.

She winces at the silence she’s met with. She uses this time to take a better look at… whoever saw her in, potentially, a state that could ruin her reputation completely.  
They have pale, purple hair, tied up in a ponytail. Their eyes are a deeper purple. They’re wearing a black suit with a brown tie. She squints to read the badge on their chest…

‘Ms. Kyoko Kirigiri’.

“I’m not convinced,” Kyoko says. “My office is just around the corner. We’ll go there and get you warmed up, yeah?,” she continues.  
Celeste simply nods, reluctantly accepting her fate. “Sorry for the bother”.  
“No worries, I was heading there anyway,” she replies, the start of a smile turning the corners of her mouth up. Celeste feels herself blush-- She’s just embarrassed, right? Embarrassed.  
She trots over to Kyoko and stands next to her, sighing in relief as her umbrella blocks the rain. “I was gonna call a taxi or something,” she utters, “I’ll probably have to call one later to get home anyway”.

“Did you not drive up in a car?,” Kyoko asks, starting to walk.

“No, I don’t actually have a car,” Celeste laughs. “I walked up here”. She purses her lips.

“Walked? In those clothes?”. Celeste sees Kyoko’s eyes widen slightly. “Aren’t those clothes uncomfortable?”.

“Yeah, and I had to walk uphill. A lot of the people I meet don’t actually realise how much work goes into these sorts of outfits”.

“Oh, I know alright,” Kyoko smiles. “I know this girl-- She’s interested in crime cases, you see, so we talk fairly often. She tends to wear very extravagant clothes when I call her, very princess-like, actually. She has a blog, too. Maybe you know her?”.

“You call her? Are you not able to see her in person?”.

“No, she lives abroad”.

Celeste thinks about the conversation. Something is off, but what?  
Wait.

“She’s interested in crime cases? Wait, do you work with the police, or…?”.

“Oh, right. I didn’t mention. I’m the Ultimate Detective. You read my nametag, so I’m guessing you already know my name,” she says. “Enough about me, what’s your name?”.

Damnit. Celeste forgot to introduce herself earlier.

“Celestia Ludenberg-- You can just call me Celeste, though. I’m an Ultimate too-- the Ultimate Gambler”.

Kyoko eyes her suspiciously. “That’s not your real name, is it?,” she asks.

Celeste immediately regrets lying to an Ultimate Detective.

“Yes, of course. Is that so strange?,” Celeste replies, furrowing her brow.

“Hm. Nevermind, I just thought it was unusual. Anyway, we’re here, so hurry inside,” Kyoko smiles.

Celeste takes a look at her before stepping in. Her expression is as blank as it was earlier on.

With a sigh, she pushes the door of the office open.

**Author's Note:**

> i came up with a temporary fic title and i wasn’t able to come up with a better one  
i’m very sorry
> 
> this is essentially the first fic i’ve ever made but i am trying my best
> 
> gay baby jail, that’s where i’ll be
> 
> i'll probably just use this fic as writing practice so the plot might not make sense at all


End file.
